This application claims the priority of German application 199 21 274.0, filed in Germany on May 7, 1999, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a machine installation for filling containers with contents, comprising,
devices for feeding empty containers to be filled, PA1 devices for sterilizing the containers to be filled, PA1 devices for filling the containers, PA1 devices for closing the filled containers and PA1 devices for removing the closed containers from the machine.
Today there are two types of this kind of machine installation, which differ in their geometry, namely the so-called lineal filler and the so-called round filler. In the case of the lineal filler, for which the German published patent application 44 08 301 is mentioned as an example, the containers to be filled travel straight through the machine, in which the individual procedural steps are carried out in stations arranged downstream of one another. The lineal filler is, as a rule, more suited-to less high-powered tasks, and is provided with devices with which a definite number of containers, for example, six, can be simultaneously filled. All six containers are located at any time in the process in the same position. They are drawn in simultaneously and withdrawn simultaneously. The machine functions intermittently, in the present case, in batches of six. The typical performance rate of a linear filler lies at approximately 6,000 to 12,000 containers per hour. A plurality of machine installations can be set up, which, if coupled, can operate parallel to one another. If a continuously operating machine, for example, a washing machine, is placed upstream thereof, a back-up section is then necessary.
In the case of a round filler, for which German published patent application 197 19 911 is named as an example, the containers to be filled travel on a carousel in a circle. This circle is divided into sectors, in which certain procedural steps are carried out. The stations mounted at the periphery of the round filler move one after the other through the individual sectors. Thus the individual procedural steps are run through one after the other. The status of each station is given by the sector in which the station is located at any given time. Round fillers are manufactured for all levels of performance. At the highest level of performance, for example, approximately 20,000 to 30,000 bottles are filled per hour, or in the case of drinking cans, up to 120,000. The operation is continuous.
In the case of the lineal filler and also the round filler, a station, even a machine, is applied for each procedural step, for example a sterilizer, a filler and a closer. In the case of round fillers, entry and exit stars are additionally required. It is thus inevitable that, when one single machine breaks down, the entire installation is brought to a standstill.
It is an object of the present invention to avoid the latter mentioned disadvantage and to produce a machine installation for the filling of containers which installation, on the one hand with regard to performance capability or the installed performance, has the greatest possible leeway, and which machine installation stands for extreme reliability, i.e. meaning that if one machine breaks down, the entire machine installation does not come to a standstill.
This object has been achieved in accordance with the present invention in that the devices for sterilizing, for filling and for closing are arranged together in a station which is driven independently of the feeding and removing devices.
Sterilizing, filling and closing thus takes place together in one single station. This station comprises all the devices which are necessary for the above mentioned processes. Such a station having the necessary functioning elements, namely the sterilizer, the filler, the closer and in particular also the feed and removal devices, forms a module for aseptic cold filling. Due to the autarky or self sufficiency of the module in connection with its hermetical sealing from the environment, a machine installation of this kind makes much less demands on the production environment than the above mentioned installation types.
The central piece of each station is in an embodiment of the present invention a plasma sterilization reactor, to which devices for filling and closing the containers are arranged. Thus multifunctional stations are involved here, which differ from similar devices of the known installations.
A plurality of stations can be arranged parallel to one another to adapt to the required performance of the installation, which stations preferably function independently of one another. Any desired number of stations can be assembled. Each single station fetches, as required, a container, sterilizes it, fills it and closes it, and subsequently ejects it again. A plurality of such stations can be active simultaneously. A sufficient feed and receiving capacity need only be provided. Every performance level can be realized in that the corresponding number of identical modules are provided. The performance of an installation can be increased by applying further modules as required. A high performance installation can, in the same way, be divided into two installations having a middle performance rate. A new installation could be so flexibly designed that performance adaptations would be possible within a very short time. The operational reliability of such an installation is at an optimum, as, if one station has an operational fault or breaks down totally, the remaining stations continue to operate unimpaired. Even maintenance would not disrupt operation if the individual modules are maintenanced successively. If the container changes its form, the part of the installation which has not yet been retrofitted can continue to produce. On the other hand, production with a new form can begin even if the entire machine has not yet been retrofitted.
Even in the case of a plurality of stations operating in an autarkik or self sufficient way, it can, however, be advantageous, especially in the case of lower performance installations, that a plurality of stations are connected to a joint control device and operate coordinately. For example, a high frequency generator, which is necessary for the plasma sterilization reactor, can be used jointly for a plurality of stations, so that the individual high frequency generators attain the highest possible operating time and thus the highest utilization ratio. The same applies to an evacuation system, as the plasma sterilization reactors are, as a rule, connected to a vacuum device.
In a further advantageous arrangement of preferred embodiments of the present invention, a feed switch connected with the feeding devices and a delivery switch connected with the removing devices are arranged at each station. The devices for feeding the containers serve also as a back-up section. One draw-in and one ejection establishes the connection to the feed switch and to the delivery switch respectively.
It is purposeful according to preferred embodiments of the invention when joint installation devices are arranged at the stations. These include such devices as the supply lines for supplying the plasma sterilization reactors with process gas or sterile gas as well as the devices for evacuating, or compressed air lines for activating pneumatic valves and drives.
A central drive shaft can be provided for driving the driving elements of the individual stations, which drive shaft drives an internal module gearing. The individual stations, however, remain totally independent drive-wise, as the individual gearings can be coupled and de-coupled from the drive shaft.
The controlling of the installation takes place on two hierarchical levels. Each station has its own control device, which ensures the local procedural steps. The control devices communicate in turn with the joint control device mentioned above, which ensures, for example, that in response to a demand from a station, that station is immediately connected to an available high frequency generator, so that the plasma phase can begin. After the plasma phase has ended, the joint control device makes the now free high frequency generator available to another station.
Other advantages, features, and details of the invention will be found in the description below in which a number of embodiments of the invention are described in detail with reference to the drawings. The features referred to in the claims and the specification may be important to the invention individually or in any combination.